Birth of a Name
by Spitfire Maguire
Summary: Just a one-shot fic about a certain special memory that Spike has about Dawn, and how she got her name.


Alright this is a one-shot fanfic about Dawn and Spike the summer after Buffy died. It's a Dawn/Spike friendship.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from BtVS. Joss does.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He and the Nibblet had just had another fight. Buffy had died recently and there was a strain on everyone. Spike had assumed the role of Dawn's primary caretaker. Everyone else had lives to try to get back to and Spike, well, didn't. Xander and his whelp were planning their wedding, through many tears. The witches were continuing with their college education. And the Watcher. Well, he was drowning his sorrows in a bottle of rum. The Scoobies would only come together to patrol, with the aid of the Buffybot and sometimes Spike. But Spike had his own responsibilities now, his own to protect, his own promise to keep. The Scoobies were keeping theirs by going on living. Spike kept his by killing demons and his own kind, then making it home in time to see Dawn off to school. His unlife had indeed changed.  
  
And they had just had another fight.  
  
Dawn ran up the stairs crying. She had wanted to go out with her friends the next night and Spike had put his foot down. It was too dangerous. Dawn had gotten upset and demanded to know why. Spike had responded that Buffy wouldn't like it and that he had promised her that nothing would happen to Dawn. That's when the tears came. Dawn had screamed that it was all about Buffy and he didn't care for her at all. Then she had turned on her heel and ran to her room.  
  
Spike stared after her and cursed. He shook his head and followed her up the stairs.  
  
He entered her room without knocking. Dawn was lying face down on her bed, her face buried in her pillow.  
  
Spike sat down on the bed, the side leaning down to accommodate the added weight. He stroked her long brown hair.  
  
"Go away," the words were muffled in the pillow.  
  
"I can't, Bit," Spike replied softly. "See, I have to protect you and take care of you."  
  
Dawn lifted her head and looked at him. "I KNOW," she said bitterly. Tears streaked down her face and she sniffled. Spike lifted her into a sitting position and leaned her against him. He put his arm around her shoulder as she rested her head onto his chest.  
  
"Listen," he said. "I have a story to tell you."  
  
"It was 1986 and I had just finished eating a very wealthy doctor and his family."  
  
**FLASHBACK**  
  
Spike licked his bloodstained lips and wiped his mouth. He had eaten well tonight. He chuckled, then froze and whipped around.  
  
"Hello Peaches," he called. Angel stood in the shadows, his face partially obscured by the darkness.  
  
"Hello William."  
  
"What do you want you bloody poof?"  
  
"I need to show you something."  
  
"Well what is it?"  
  
"Not here."  
  
Spike looked at him curiously. Angel turned and headed out the door. Spike remained where he was and thought whether or not he should follow his souled sire. Well, he didn't have anything better to do.  
  
"Wait up Peaches!" He ran out the front door of the doctor's house and hopped into the waiting convertible in the front. Angel put the car into gear and they drove off.  
  
They traveled for nights on end. Angel never said a word. It made for a bloody boring trip, in Spike's opinion.  
  
After two weeks, of which several times Spike was tempted to say, "Bugger this" and quit, they arrived in a little town called Sunnydale, California.  
  
"The Hellmouth?" Spike said in disbelief. "Why in bloody hell did you bring me here?" Angel said nothing. It was late at night; he pulled up in front of a house on Rodello Drive. He turned off the ignition and walked up to a trellis at the side of the house. He turned to Spike who had gotten out and was leaning against the convertible, a cigarette dangling out of his mouth.  
  
"Follow me," said Angel.  
  
"That's all I've been bloody doing!" Spike muttered. He stared as Angel climbed up the trellis. "Umm . . . Peaches? Have you gone bonkers or have you forgotten we're vampires and we need an invite?!?" Angel ignored him and opened the window. Spike crossed his arms. "Well don't blame me when you get knocked back and fall flat on your large arse."  
  
Angel turned to Spike and glared. "Spike, shut up. These are special circumstances. The Powers That Be are letting us in." He turned back around and climbed through the window into the house.  
  
Spike snuffed out his cigarette and walked to the trellis. He began to climb up. "Well that's jolly nice of them," he called up. "Does this mean a free snack?"  
  
Angel fixed Spike with a deadly glare on inside of the window.  
  
"Hurt any of them and I will kill you. Everyone in this house is under my protection. All except one."  
  
Spike hopped through the window. He stood up straight and wiped his hands on his jeans. "Well can I eat that one?"  
  
Angel ignored him. "Let's go." He turned and started to walk, then stopped and stared at the bed in the room. On it was the small form of a little girl lying sound asleep. Angel smiled serenely.  
  
"That's my soul mate. We're meant to be together."  
  
Spike snorted. "That's nice and all you poofy pedophile, but I really don't want to believe that I came all the way out here to Sunnyhell to hear about your love life. Where's the one I get to eat?"  
  
Angel's face turned sour. He turned and walked out of the bedroom and into the hallway; Spike followed. They walked through the hallway into another room. Inside the room was a crib. Lying in the crib was a baby girl. Spike looked down. The baby slowly opened her eyes and blinked sleepily. Her innocent gaze landed on Spike.  
  
"I told you, you're not eating anybody," Angel said. Spike looked at him confusedly.  
  
"But you said one person isn't under your protection. Is this babe the one?"  
  
Angel took a deep unneeded breath. "Yes. And you're right. She's not under my protection." He paused. "She's under yours."  
  
Spike's eyes widened considerably. "What?"  
  
"That's what I said. Only the Powers know why a soulless vampire be made the protector of an innocent girl, but that's the way it is. I'll be out in the hall. I assume you won't eat her." He left.  
  
Spike stared at the baby. Blue eyes met blue eyes as she stared right back. "Don't know how I could. You're too small anyway. Nothing but a nibblet."  
  
The baby giggled.  
  
"You like that name then, huh?" He put out his finger to the child. She grabbed it and held on. "Wow you're strong for a babe." She yanked on his hand and tried to bite his the extended body part.  
  
"Hey now! None of that now, Nibblet. Well, at least you have spunk. So I'm your protector then. I think I can deal with that."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Dawn looked up at Spike as he finished telling his story, her eyes full with wonder and amazement.  
  
"But Spike, those memories weren't real. The monks just created them and put them in your head."  
  
"I know, Nibblet. But don't you think it rather odd that they gave me that particular memory? I think, if you were the Key or not, I was destined to protect you. Buffy's request only cemented the deal. Things had already been set in motion from the time you were a babe. So don't think that I care only for Buffy and not you. You've got it all wrong, bit. See, I actually cared about you first, and I will always care about you. You and I, we've got history."  
  
Dawn was smiling and tears began to threaten again. Without warning she pulled Spike into a tight embrace.  
  
"I love you Spike," she whispered into his duster. Spike was touched.  
  
"I love you too, Nibblet," he responded with a small smile. Dawn slowly pulled away. She tried to inconspicuously wipe away the few more tears that had fallen. Spike handed her a tissue.  
  
"So what did you do after you found out you had to protect me? Did you leave or what?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Actually I stuck around for quite some time. Whatever spell that was on the house from the Powers to let me in stayed for a couple nights more. I think your mum wondered why you never woke up for those nights."  
  
Dawn looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well I would arrive right when you were waking up for your 3am feeding. That's why you bit my finger the first time, although I still maintain that you just liked me. So I would warm your bottle and feed you. Y'know, just to let your mum sleep and all. Plus, I wanted to get to know you a little more. You were a spunky kid." Dawn smiled at this.  
  
"Were?"  
  
"Well, still are," Spike corrected. "Now, how about that delicious dinner I was making before you decided to run off? Hopefully it's not too cold."  
  
Dawn jumped up. "All right! I'm starving." She started for the door, but Spike caught her hand.  
  
He sighed before saying, "You can go out tomorrow night. But only until 10 because I have some beasties to kill."  
  
Dawn cocked her head to the side and looked at him. "That's okay Spike, I think I'd rather stay home now. How about after school I go to the video store and rent a movie that we can watch before you go out?"  
  
Spike smiled. "I'd like that, Nibblet." He let go of her hand and she went downstairs. Spike got up to follow. At the door, he turned around and looked back into the room. The same room where 15 years before he had met his destiny, a young babe who was quickly growing up into a beautiful young woman.  
  
Yes, he concluded, the monks had definitely done him a favor by giving him that memory. They had given him his Nibblet.  
  
He shut the door behind him and walked down the stairs, a pleasant smile on his face.  
  
~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Thanks for reading! ~ Spitfire Maguire 


End file.
